I can not even begin to tell you the tangle of wires and pile of contraptions that I have accumulated on this boat trying to get useable wifi signals in the last 10 years. I’ve done better than a lot of boats, but in the past 5 years I just assumed it was the lack of maintenance of the routers ashore, and the general infrastructure that supports wifi, that was toppling to extinction. I thought the world had converted to 3G and 4G cellular devices, and wifi was just a rusty relic in my bilge.
I asked friends all over the world if they were experiencing the same thing. And guess what, wifi is still alive and well, and improving all the time, the world over. There is no good reason to stop chasing the wifi signals because they are most often your least expensive option, not to mention your only hope of a signal at all. Some countries are even starting to limit who can have a SIM card, and it may not be as easy going forward, for cruisers to even obtain SIM cards! I find that so hard to believe, but rather find out the hard way, I decided to get a good rig up, and the bad gear off the boat, once and for all.
I have a wifi hotspot with a SIM card in it. I am embarrassed to tell you how much money I lose when I go over my limit; money flies out of my wallet keeping this topped up.
What a gorgeous piece of hardware! This morning, the only signal any of my devices could see, with my best rig up, was the marina’s wifi. It could not hold the signal long enough to actually bring up a page. There were 1-2 bars of signal strength.
Eager to start saving money, and approaching another plan end…I did a temporary install of this Extender, and found it very easy to set up on our horizontal Bimini bar. Within 10 minutes, I had 25 signals showing. Now, the marina signal was not just useable, but lightening fast.
What’s nice about this device too, is that once I activate the built in firewall and service, I can be sure that my computer won’t do automatic updates, or that running background apps won’t suck down the data while I am attached to expensive wifi or 3G/4G data plans, never mind my Inmarsat satellite phone. I have all but decided to sell my Inmarsat Isatphone Pro since every time I have used that for data, I’ve run my data out before I’ve even gotten the weather or my emails while at sea.
If anyone wants a bundle of wifi devices, come’n get em…free for the taking. I will likely be replacing my Inmarsat IsatphonePro sat phone with an Iridium GO, so if anyone wants a good deal on a an Inmarsat Isatphone Pro, let me know that too. It has the latest firmware with it, and a data connection kit.
It was September 30, 2007…the day we untied the docklines and finally left to go cruising! This is what I wrote in the journal that day. Both as we untied the lines, and as we arrived in our first port that evening. And then as we began our sail down the coast stopping to say goodbye to friends along the eastern seaboard of the USA. It seems like yesterday, but yet a lifetime ago too.
We have lost touch with almost all of our friends in Rhode Island now, though one the other day told me we are still the topic of conversation at their backyard barbecues. Their children who were in grade school are having children of their own now, and my parents are both going quite grey, while Patrick’s parent have now both passed away. A lot has changed. But a lot has stayed the same too.
This post is dedicated to those friends who still remember us and follow our blog and travels in Rhode Island…
This post is dedicated to our family back home, that although I didn’t shed that tear as I departed in sheer joy, I cry for you every day, and greatly feel the separation that my travel bug induces but that I can’t seem to shake.
We love you all, and being away from you is the WORST part of cruising.
The docklines are untied!!
30 September 2007 | Narrangansett Bay, Motoring out to the ocean!
Rebecca Childress
The wind blew from the north all morning which would have been ideal for our long awaited departure, but we still had a few more things to do.
Go pick up the strawberries and the Mikes hard LimeAid from last nights party, go get a new sheave at West Marine that Patrick decided needed to be fixed late last night, and a quart of milk so that we didnt have to unfreeze the milk in the freezer for cereal!
Hand over the car to my friend Tammy who let us keep the car she bought from us, right up to departure when she bought it from us weeks ago! What a gift that was to us.
We untied the docklines as people waved to us and wished us a happy safe journey…some of whom we had never even gotten to really meet due to being so busy this summer, upgrading the boat, and getting ready for this day…
We are leaving so many friends, family, yet I can not shed a tear…I am so excited to be finally underway! Im sure it will hit me soon just how long it will be til I see everyone again! Our final party last night was a “full moon” party, at our dear friends Bill and Dianes house. They have an inground pool that they heated up to 94 degrees, as well as a hot tub!
The best thing said all night to me was ” You told us a year ago youd be going in a year…and here it is – TOMMOROW! You didn’t find any reason not to go or to delay your departure..you set your mind to it and you made it happen! He was right on target with that! How nice it is to be with Patrick- he set his mind to doing this with me many years ago- and here we are, leaving the dock and motoring towards the ocean. We havent even decided where we are going yet! Block Island? Watch Hill? Pt Judith!? Nice to have no destination, no schedule.
Thank you to all of our friends and family who made living on the boat and getting ready to go so much fun! Thank you for following our adventures on this blog and in Blue Water Sailing Magazine! Your hearts, your faces, and all the good times we have had will stay in our hearts wherever we go, and we will see you when we return!
We arrived to our first port of call, New Harbor, Block Island tonight at 8pm
30 September 2007 | Block Island, RI
Rebecca Childress
We arrived in a very dark harbor tonight- the moon was hidden, in to Block Island – New Harbor earlier tonight. We had a wonderful Salmon dinner, spiced potatoes, and a fresh garden salad. We baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert and snacks tomorrow. Patrick is sound asleep and snoring. I am experimenting with electricity ( wind generator), and our fantastic wifi connection in the harbor here. The antenna and wifi card that I bought was money well spent! But what if they break!?!? Better get to bed soon…but wantt to let you know how the first day of our circumnavigation went!!…Patrick mentioned something about jogging the island all day tomorrow so I cant write too much! Its a good thing Tammy made chocolate chip cookie dough for times like these!! We will leave here Tuesday or Wednesday I think. Maybe our friend Bob will come out to sail to somewhere in Long Island Sound with us.
A couple of fun things on the way over to Block Island, out of Newport Harbor:
1. Came up on a little boat, from behind. It was Mariah and her friend Bob out for a daysail on their Oday 22 – the boat I used to own with Mariah. We waved, and said our goodbyes for 4 years. Cutter, her golden retreiver was on the bow with her. It was nice to see her one last time before departing. A million boats in the harbor, and we almost ran her down by accident!
2.I was so ecstatically happy and high on life leaving Newport Harbor, that a boat passed port to port, travelling in the opposite direction, but very close to us. It was a nice family with 2 young kids…I smiled and waved and said – “we are leaving to go around the world – and this is our first day!!!” They smiled and waved and cheered us on. Patrick and I grinned at eachother the whole way to Block Island. I just looked in on him, and hes smiling in his sleep! I’m not sure who is happier to finally be underway, witht he first day of our circumnavation completed..he or I. Its so great that we are both so happy though..its more than I ever dreamed would happen in my little old life! I am sailing around the world – one day at a time! Life could NOT be better! If you think Im really lucky to be doing this…you are 110% correct!
Its already warmer!
03 October 2007 | Westbrook, CT
Rebecca Childress
Yes, I know, we are only 100 miles away at best, but last night we shed 2 layers of blankets, and are back to flipflops this morning! Our friend from Connecticut didnt make the ferry, so he instead met us here to help us in to the dock, and take us out for dinner. He was very kind to us…two Black Douglas Tshirts, a very nice bottle of wine, and a fantastic dinner and wine at a local restaurant. It was a harbor with very shallow water to enter in the dark, but it was worth it for his nice welcome! Today we leave to travel further down the coast, maybe as far as Stamford Ct. The next day…New York City!
What a gorgeous piece of hardware! This morning, the only signal any of my devices could see, with my best rig up, was the marina’s wifi. It could not hold the signal long enough to actually bring up a page. There were 1-2 bars of signal strength.
